PT Of Melissa. The Connection Between Neck Pain & Headaches

Health &Wellness The Newsletter About Health And Self-Care

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NECK PAIN & HEADACHES Reclaim Your Healthy, Pain-Free Life!

THE PROBLEM WITH POSTURE

Health & Wellness The Newsletter About Your Health And Caring For Your Body

ALSO INSIDE: • The Problem With Posture • Healthy Recipe • Exercise Essentials • Patient Success Spotlight

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NECK PAIN & HEADACHES

Headaches have a bad habit of making their appearance at the most inconvenient times. The middle of the workday, early in the evening when you have hours of responsibilitiesaheadofyou,orevenfirst thing in themorningwhenyouare trying to pay attention to your morning meeting — headaches don’t care how important the work ahead of you is. When they start, they are hard to stop. There are all sorts of reasons why headaches may develop. From environmental factors like weather changes and exposure to certain perfumes or other scents, to stressandallergies,headacheshappen to thebestofus.However, therearesome headachesthatmaybeabitmorepredictablethanothers.Factors likeyourposture, the typeofmattressyousleepon, thepillowyouuse,oreven thedeskchairyousit in at work can all impact your risk for experiencing regular headaches because of the intricate network of nerves and muscles in your neck. When Neck Pain Leads to Headaches Themajorityof the time,neckpainstartsoutasaseeminglysmallconcern.Acrick inyourneckhereortheremaystarttodevelopmorefrequently,andbeforeyouknow it,yourexperienceofneckpain issomethingyouaredealingwithdaily. It isn’talways

the resultofsomething large.Whilebeing inacaraccidentorexperiencinganother sort of injury can definitely lead to chronic neck pain, the cause of the issue isn’t always as simple to identify. Sometimes it is a bad habit that you don’t really think twice about, like your habit of watchingTV as you fall asleep, keeping your neck at anoddangleasyourestfortheevening,ormaybeasaresultofyourpostureasyou typeatyourdeskeveryday,hunchedoverat theshoulderswithyourneckcatching the brunt of your slouch. Thesepoorhabitsarecommon,andmostofusconsiderthemtobeharmless.Sure, you know it isn’t great for you, butwhat is actuallygoing to happen? It’s a lot easier toslouchasyoutype,andwhodoesn’twanttocatchafew late-night laughsasthey fallasleep?But the reality is that theseseemingly irrelevanthabitscouldbeputting undue stress on your neck, and if you aren’t careful, this could translate to regular and uncomfortable headaches that are difficult to get rid of.

If you’re suffering from neck pain, call 972.837.4450 to talk with your physical therapist and schedule your appointment today!

Together we get better! | www.ptofmelissa.com

Working with a physical therapist can help you to identify whether or not your headaches may be the result of neck pain or strain. One of the most common causes of headaches due to neck pain is forward head position. Forward head position means that when you are resting your head, you are continuing to hold your head slightly forward, which is a type of slouching position. You can identify whether or not you have a forward head position by standing straight against the wall and determining whether or not your head rests against the wall as your back does. If your head does not touch the wall when you are standingstraight,thenyouaren’tfullystandingupstraight!Asyearsgobyandday after day you continue to hold your head in this forward position, you can start to experience pain as a result of strain in the muscles of the neck. When this is an issue, working with a physical therapist may be able to help. Stretchingthemuscles inyournecktoalleviateneckstraincanreducetheseverity and regularity of your headaches. Stretching the muscles that have grown tight along the back of your neck as well as those along the shoulders can help you find relief from the tension that is causing your pain. Whendealingwithneckpain, it is important toremember thatsafetyhas tocome first.Whiletherearemanysimpleactivitiesyoucantryathometobeginstretching your neck muscles, working with a physical therapist is the only way to ensure that you are stretching in a way that won’t potentially lead to greater injury. For more information, contact us.

Healthy Recipe: Blackened Chicken With Avocado Sauce

INGREDIENTS • 4 (4 oz) chicken breasts • 2 tbsp blackened seasoning • ½ cup plain, Greek yogurt • ½ avocado • 1 tsp lemon juice

• ½ tsp garlic powder • ⅛ tsp salt • 2 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS Place the chicken breasts and blackened seasoning in a large resealable bag. Seal and shake a few times to evenly coat the chicken. Lightly coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until cooked through, 4-6 minutes per side. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the yogurt, avocado, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt and pulse until smooth and creamy. To serve, top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of the creamy avocado sauce and garnish with ½ tablespoon green onions.

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PRACTICE NEWS

PATIENT SUCCESS SPOTLIGHT

“Before coming to PT of Melissa I could not sit, stand, or look up, down, left, or right due to numerous surgeries on my back and neck. I was dropping items from my hands due to loss of feeling in both arms. Since coming here, my overall health has improved dramatically. My usage of pain medication has decreased to where I am only taking them once a day. My physical activity has increased, and mentally, I look forward to the sun rising in the morning. I have been toseveralphysical therapists fromDallas toSherman toBonham,and Ihavenot felt betternorhasmyphysicalactivityeverbeenbetter.PTofMelissa is thebestatwhat they do. My sincere thanks goes out to all the staff.” - Rick Y.

We were honored to help with the pre-race warmup at the 10th Annual Melissa Ridge Race recently. While it was a wet, rainy, windy day we love supporting our communities!

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Exercise Essentials

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If you suffer from headaches, try these recommended exercises. For the first three days, perform Exercise 1 ( Head retraction in sitting ) 6-8 times a day, 10 repetitions each time and whenever you feel a headache developing. If this reduces your headachesbutdoesnotabolish themcompletely,youshouldaddExercise2 ( Neck flexion in sitting ). In particular, headaches that spread over the top of your head to above or behind the eyes are often relieved with this exercise. In case your headaches are not relieved by these two exercises, try sustaining the end range position for 1-2 minutes. Stretches To Relieve Headaches

Do You Suffer From Neck Pain Or Headaches?

We can help!

Mention or Bring in This Coupon Today For a FREE NECK PAIN SCREENING

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

If you have neck pain or headaches, please give us a call and schedule a free screening so we can get you going!

Sit in a chair with good posture.Tuck your chin as if you are nodding yes. Hold for 2 seconds then return to the starting position. Repeat as specified above.

Sit in a chair with good posture. Lower your chin as if you are nodding yes, using your arm to assist until you feel a slight stretch in the back of your neck. Hold the position, then return to the starting position. Repeat as specified above.

Call Today! (972) 837-4450

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